Twisted Ties of Love

Ariana noticed the collar around the cat's neck and tried to cut it off with a knife but kept fumbling.

Ariana decided to quit wasting time. After all, time was ticking, and she couldn't afford to spend it all on a collar.

She continued to hold the cat's jaws open. "Want to bite me? I'm going to pull all your teeth out. Then see if you still want to bite me." The cat was trembling. It lay there, bound, unable to move. Not that it could plead for mercy even if it wanted to, it's just a cat after all. Ariana's eyes were grim. Soon, the only sound left in the empty room was the cat's cries.

"Meow." The cat's mouth was covered in blood. It lay there helpless. The only image that filled its little head at that moment was Izabella.

"Bella, I want to spend more time with you. I really want to see you more."

Not long after Izabella had finished her meal, the director told her to get ready for the shoot again.

She glanced at the door. Rachel still hadn't returned, which stirred unease in Izabella. She made a call to Rachel.

Every passing second seemed to stretch into an hour for Izabella.

The call went through, but all that came was a cold automated message. It was like a bucket of ice water being poured over her from head to toe. "I'm sorry, the number you dialed is switched off, please try again later."

A chill ran down Izabella's spine, her body shaking uncontrollably.

This was the first time this had happened. She had instructed Rachel to look after the cat and to always keep her phone on for easy contact. Rachel always carried a power bank to ensure her phone wouldn't die. And this morning, when Izabella had linked the tracker to Rachel's phone, the battery was full. There was no way it could have switched off due to a dead battery.

So what was causing Rachel's phone to be switched off?

In a matter of seconds, Izabella thought of a million possibilities. She remembered how Rachel couldn't meet her gaze today, and all the oddities about Kristin. Why hadn't she noticed that something was off?

It seemed Rachel was in trouble.

Another chill ran down Izabella's spine.

Brad called out to Izabella a few times, but she didn't respond. He walked over and patted her on the shoulder. "Get ready to shoot, we have to finish the interior scenes today and do the exterior ones tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, Mr. York, I need to take a day off today. I have some important matters to attend to, I must leave."

Brad was taken aback as he looked into Izabella's red eyes. Izabella had always been dedicated, never once taking a day off during shoots. He wanted to ask her if something was wrong, but seeing her frantic and helpless eyes, he was at a loss for words.

"I'll allow you to take the day off. Go and do what you need to do."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Izabella running out whilst clutching her phone. She did not even bother to change out of her costume and makeup.

"Wait." Brad called out but couldn't stop her.

Seeing how desperate Izabella was, it was clear that she had something urgent to tend to.

Izabella didn't care about the stares from passers-by. She hailed a cab.

The driver was taken aback when he saw her. "Are you a celebrity?"

But being a professional, he quickly composed himself. "Where do you want to go?"ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Izabella took out her phone and opened the maps and pointed to a red pin. "Take me here."

"Alright," replied the driver.

The red dot on the map remained stationary, making Izabella even more worried. It could mean that something had happened to her pet cat Niki, or that Niki's tracker had been thrown away. Either way, it suggested that something might have happened to Niki.

The thought of something happening to Niki felt like a stab to Izabella's heart.

She instantly became numb, like an old machine failing to function properly.

Izabella leaned forward, one hand clutching her head, the other incessantly dialing Rachel's number. But every call was met with the same automated message.

"Don't stay switched off, answer the phone," she thought. Niki was all she had left. "Please don't hurt it."

She remembered how Niki had tried to save her in the fire. Her heart shattered.

The driver arrived at the destination, "We're here."

Izabella looked out of the window. It was a junkyard.

She got out of the car and followed the directions on her phone. The closer she got to the red dot, the more afraid she became.

Her heart was in her throat, as if being strangled by a rope, making it hard for her to breathe.

Izabella desperately looked for Niki

but fear and anxiety filled her. She began to run. She tripped over her long dress a few times, but she kept going, one hand hoisting up her dress, her steps firm.

Around a corner, Izabella's expression turned to one of pain.

She had a sharp sense of smell, and the scent from the pile of trash was not just the stench of rotting waste, but also a hint of gasoline.

The faint smell wrapped around her like a poisonous vine, tightening its grip.

Izabella stopped in her tracks, soaked in cold sweat, shaking with fear.

She was afraid that the smell of gasoline and blood both came from Niki. She was scared to approache the red dot, scared to see a mangled Niki. She was scared to watch ber beloved cat die right in front of her eyes.

Only five steps away, behind a pile of junk.

"Niki!" Izabella called out, taking painstaking steps towards it.

Only silence answered her. She approached the pile of junk, and at that moment, Izabella heard a weak breathing coming from inside.

When she finally reached the pile of junk, she saw blood and cat fur.

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Her eyes narrowed, scanning the area before focusing on one spot. A bloody, unrecognizable mass was curled up there. Its entire body covered in wounds, it looked like plush toy that had been soaked in blood, its shape indistinguishable.

That was Niki.

Izabella staggered over and knelt down. She wanted to pick up Niki, but its body was covered in wounds, and she didn't even know how to hold it.

The blood was still warm. Apart from its head, its body reeked of gasoline.